I was just told by my LFS that lava rock lowers pH and is obsurd for media in a SW tank or FW? He said it lowers the pH. The store itself is reputable, but not sure about this guy. Any ideas?
Lava Rock Good Media?
- Thread starter da1jewfish
- Start date
Depends on what kind of lava rock. The Red lava rock you often see for sale at fish stores is actually a byproduct from metal smelting and is inert, which is aquarium safe. Lace Rock is a windswept volcanic rock that is also safe for aquariums.
Real cinder is not advisable. While it won't lower the pH, it may leach toxins into the tank. You can try it out in a tub of SW--test the water, soak the rock for 3-4 days, test the water again.
You really can't have too much bio-media. What you can have is too many places for solid debris to become trapped and inaccessible to larger scale cleaners, which will then increase the ammonia produced (and the nitrites, and the nitrates). But, this is because there's too much food for the bacteria, rather than because there is too much bacteria.
You really can't have too much bio-media. What you can have is too many places for solid debris to become trapped and inaccessible to larger scale cleaners, which will then increase the ammonia produced (and the nitrites, and the nitrates). But, this is because there's too much food for the bacteria, rather than because there is too much bacteria.
One thing to keep in mind that volcanic rock can vary in composition depending on where it originated, temperature of the lava at the time of the eruption, and the rate at which the lava cooled. Because of this, there can be variations in mineral make-up from one area to another and even in lava that erupts at different times or areas of the same Volcano. I think you would be best suited to place the rock in the salt water like you said and let it go for a while and keep testing for known fish killing substances over at least a month. I’ve heard of people using Volcanic rock for fresh water fish and have not heard any issues. I would love to hear if it works, I think the black background could offer a striking contrast to the colors in SW fish!
I am currently performing the experiment in a 5 gallon bucket of instant ocean SW mix with an air pump...there is about 5 oz of Cinder Lava Rock from the island of Hawaii in there. Does 3-4 days sound like a good waiting period? Maybe I will try testing it then and then at the 7day mark. I'll def get back to yall...
**** GeorgiaMan why do you have to tell me all those variables? Does this mean this experiment is obsolete for anyone else? I guess will have to see if there are any traces of any fish killer substances first. Do a basically test for ammonia, pH, nitrite, and what else??
**** GeorgiaMan why do you have to tell me all those variables? Does this mean this experiment is obsolete for anyone else? I guess will have to see if there are any traces of any fish killer substances first. Do a basically test for ammonia, pH, nitrite, and what else??
